Belt buckle



Jan. 6, 1925. I 1,522,140

v V G. E. PRENTICE BELT BUCKLE Filed July 5, 1924 #iff Patented dan. 6,1925.

GEORGE EDWARD PRETICE, 03? BERLIN, CONNECTICUT. l

BELT BUCKLE.

`.application me@ muy 5, 1924. serial no. 724,402.

To all ww/m, t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. IJRENTIOE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Berlin, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belt Buckles, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in belt buckles and the object ofmy improvement is to produce a belt buckle that is particularly adaptedfor use with belts that are made of rubber and involving to this end,the use of a plurality of individual contacts with the material of thefree end of the belt, each making a substantially positive gripping orholding eect though appreciably less than necessary in cases where asingle gripping contact is employed.

In the accompanying drawing Figure l is a front elevation of my improvedbelt buckle with parts of the belt.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an edge view of the same.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Figure is a similar view to Fig. 4 with the parts in a dierent position.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the blank for the clamping lever.

Figure 7 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line7-7 of Fig.4, showing the middle contacting part in the engaged position.

Figure 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4, showing the sidecontact members.

My improved belt buckle comprises a front wall 10; rearwardly directedside walls 11 of flange-like form that are connected to the top andbottom edges of said front wall 10; extensions of said side walls 11that serve as supporting ears for the clamping lever 13 and areperforated to receive the pintles 14 thereof; and may have wings 15 onthe two sides that extend inwardly from the edges of said side walls 11.Said wings 15 are spaced from the front wall 10 and cooperate with thesame and with the side walls 11 to provide a guide-way at the entranceportion or mouth for the free end 16 of the belt.

As shown in Fig. 2 said entrance portion or mouth 17 is at the left endand the long arm 18 of the clamping lever 13 in the clamping position isswung towards the right of the pintles 14.

Said long arm 18 is provided with means The structure so far describedis ordinary.

It is also ordinary to provide a crowning or rounded effectsubstantially as shown for the front wall 10, involving a forwardbulging of the material. `This condition, however, in the presentinstance I utilize in a special manner for eli'ecting one of the resultsof the invention, as will be described.

Considering the portion or zone 21 of the front wall 10 that is adjacentand cooperates with the short arm 22 of the clamping lever 13, bylreason of thek crowning described, the different parts of said zone 21are located at different distances or spacings from the axis of movementas determined by the pintles 14. That is to say, the two side portions23 are nearer the axis than the middle portion 24. Thus by suitableshaping and forming of the active portion or portions of the short arm22 different contacting and clamping effects may be obtained.

In order to obtain such effects in a simple manner the following detailsof construction are follo-wed:-

The free edge 25 of the clamping lever 13 is used for cooperating withthe two side portions 23 of the zone 21 by providing a simple straightedge for the same. Thus the pressure at the sides will be'greater thanat the middle. The parts are constructed and arranged so that with thebelt material for which the buckle is adapted the clamping pressure willbe conned to the two sides 23 and whatever contact there may be at themiddle 24 will not be effective for clamping purposes.

Thus two individual contacting or clamping effects are obtained.

I provide a third clamping effect at the middle 24 by means of aseparate clamping lip 26 that is formed integral with the short arm 22,the material being sheared along the U-shaped line 27 and struck-up vorbent along effect with the different contacts distributed over the faceof Vthe doelt.r

I claim as my invention A belt buckle having a frame of channel form,comprising a front' Wall, a clamping lever supported from said frame andhaving a short arm for cooperating with vsaid front Wall for clampingvabelt end, ;and said shoit arm having a set ott active individualycontacting;ledges for `engaging Lsai'dvabelt, said set conipifising apair fof' side edgeslthat are laterally spaced Aa middle .edge l:spacedlongitudinally from said side edges, -said .continuously and unbrokenacross Substantially the entire Width 0f the free end of said short arm,and said rontwall being crowned or rounded for the zone that is opposedto said'hort arm and having the middle portionl epaced fioifnsaid freeend to an extent to prevent clamping a belt against said middle portion;by said stiraightiedge 'strncture.

`enonei. EDWARD PRENTicn

